· Pope Pius XII dies at age 82. Angelo Guiseppe Cardinal Roncalli is elected the new pope and takes the name Pope John XXIII.

· A fire at the Museum of Modern Art in New York kills one worker and destroys two Monets. The Museum is accused of safety violations because workers smoke near sawdust.

· Columnist Herb Caen coins a new name for members of the “beat” generation - beatnik. Said Caen, “I coined the word 'beatnik' simply because Russia's Sputnik was aloft at the time and the word popped out.”

· “Bridge on the River Kwai” wins the Academy Award for Best Picture (of 1957). It beats out “12 Angry Men”, “Peyton Place”, “Sayonara”, and “Witness for the Prosecution”.

· The National Defense Education Act (NDEA) responds to the 1957 Soviet launching of Sputnik. The act encourages the study of science, mathematics and languages, but leaves management and implementation to state and local government.

· The American nuclear submarine Nautilus makes a successful trip under the North Pole.

· The first regularly-scheduled transatlantic jet passenger service is inaugurated between New York and London.

· The first regularly-scheduled jet passenger service within the US, daily service from New York to Miami, is inaugurated.

· The Christmas song “The Little Drummer Boy” is written by Henry Onerati, Katherine Davis and Harry Simeone.

· Rod Serling writes “The Time Element” as a pilot for his proposed sci-fi series, “The Twilight Zone.” CBS wanted a half-hour format for the series, and rejected the pilot as too long. Desilu purchased the show and ran it on their “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” on November 24, 1958. It's unexpected popularity encouraged the network to proceed with “The Twilight Zone.”